HOLLY, Joan Hunter

   A late working name of US writer Joan Carol Holly (1932-1982), who before 1970 signed herself J. Hunter Holly. JHH had a degree in psychology and conducted creative-writing workshops as well as doing her own work; a benign brain tumour, removed in 1970, interrupted her career 1966-70, and she later suffered further ill health. She began publishing sf with a novel, Encounter (1959), in which Man and inimical ALIEN confront one another. Much of her work - including The Flying Eyes (1962), The Dark Planet (1962) and The Time Twisters (1964)-involves melodramatic alienINVASIONS and other traumatic encounters. Among her better stories, written after her illness, are "The Gift of Nothing" (1973) and "Psi Clone" (1977). Keeper (1976 Canada) and Shepherd (1977 Canada) make up ashort DYSTOPIAN series in which one man opposes an oppressive regime. JHH wrote straightforward adventure novels whose dark undertones were of interest.

   JC

   Other works: The Green Planet (1960); The Gray Aliens (1963; vt The Grey Aliens 1964 UK); The Running Man (1963); The Dark Enemy (1965); The Mind Traders (1966); The Assassination Affair * (1967), \#10 inthe MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. series; Death Dolls of Lyra (1977).

   See also: WOMEN SF WRITERS.